A collection of inviting Indian recipes to cook at home, including street food and snacks, curries and rice, and the all-important chutneys and raitas, as well as lightly spiced desserts.

Magical spice powders, sizzling dried whole spices, noisy popping saucepans, aromatic smells, colorful foods… this is what sums up great home-cooked Indian food. In this book, Nitisha walks you through a myriad of spices to understand how each one adds flavour, as well as how they complement each other for different dishes. The excitement, freshness, and snack-friendly appeal of street food leads to an explosive mixture of flavours in recipes for Fish Pakoras, Smokin’ Fiery Chicken Wings, Deep-fried Spiced Potato, Samosa Chaat, and Dhokla Muffins.

The beauty of curry is that nothing defines what makes a good curry—recipes vary meaning that the possibilities are endless. Nitisha’s recipes for curry include Keralan Shrimp Curry, Uncle Rambo’s Goat Curry, Paneer Kadhai, and Gosht Aloo Saag Masala. Celebratory dishes are also here, with Masala Grilled Lobster, Tandoori Spatchcock Poussin, and Hariyali Salmon. While vegetarian dishes are great as sides and entrées: try a variety of dhals, Channa Masala, and Pili Pili Chips. And if all that wasn’t feast enough, finish up with some sweet treats, such as Pistachio and Rose Water Ice Cream, and Mango and Mint Kulfi.

---

Smokin’ Fiery Chicken Wings

Wings are my favourite cut of chicken – they are moist, tender and oh, so flavoursome! They are also incredibly versatile which is why they work so well with intense flavours such as smoky paprika and hot spices. Even though it’s a very simple recipe, I decided to include it in the book because it has never let me down and always impresses my guests. Charring the wings before baking means they really are smokin’!

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons Holy Trinity Paste (page 12)

freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon dried chilli/ hot red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon tandoori masala

2 tablespoons natural/ plain yogurt

1 teaspoon red chilli/ chili powder

1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves

1 kg/ 2¼ lbs. chicken wings

TO SERVE

dipping sauce or chutney of your choosing

lime wedges

SERVES 4

In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients apart from the chicken wings. Mix well until the mixture is smooth, then add in the chicken wings and mix to coat. Allow the wings to marinate overnight in the refrigerator, if possible, or for a minimum of 30 minutes at room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) Gas 4. Heat a griddle pan until smoking (if you don’t have a griddle pan you can use a heavy-bottomed frying pan/skillet). Seal the wings in the hot pan to create a smoky, charred flavour on the skin. Transfer the wings to a large baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes.

Serve as a snack or appetizer with a dipping sauce or chutney and a squeeze of lime for a final flourish of zestiness.

Recipe reprinted with permission from Ryland Peters & Small.